Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-10-09
Today, six-time GRAMMY-winning musician, producer, and composer Don Was announced Live Dispatch Vol. 1: Blues For Allah ’26, a new live album from Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
Honoring Don’s longtime friend and collaborator Bob Weir, the album features performances captured along the Ensemble’s recent tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah.
The album will be released November 20 via Verve Records, and the announcement arrives with the first single, “The Music Never Stopped.”
LISTEN TO “THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED”
PREORDER / PRESAVE LIVE DISPATCH VOL. 1: BLUES FOR ALLAH ’26
In 2018, Don joined Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir to form the Wolf Brothers, a band that continued to tour in the U.S. and overseas until Weir’s passing in 2026.
“Playing with Bobby Weir and The Wolf Bros drew me deep into the music of the Grateful Dead,” says Don. “The songs became way more than lyrics and a chord chart - they became more like 'friends' that I looked forward to hanging out with night after night. We hope that this record conveys our deep respect and love for this music and for the fans who have made it such an important part of their lives.”
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble features top-tier jazz musicians from Don’s hometown, including longtime collaborator Dave McMurray on saxophone, along with drummer Jeff Canady, trombonist Vincent Chandler, vocalist Steffanie Christi’an, trumpeter John Douglas, guitarist Wayne Gerard, percussionist Mahindi Masai, and keyboardist Phil Whitfield.
“There’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe,” says Was. “There’s a rawness, a lack of pretension, and an unmistakable underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the entire city.”
Over the past five decades, Don Was has become one of music’s most respected figures as a producer, bassist, composer, and longtime head of Blue Note Records. His production credits include The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, and many others, with combined sales exceeding 100 million albums.
His honors include a BAFTA Award for Backbeat, an Emmy for The Beatles: The Night That Changed America, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association.
In addition to leading the Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue for more than 15 years, he co-hosts The Don Was Motor City Playlist on Detroit’s WDET-FM and Dinner with Don Was on SiriusXM.
Drawing on the wide-ranging influences of his five-decade career, the band’s 2025 album Groove in the Face of Adversity channeled the soul of the Motor City through a blend of jazz, juke-joint blues, and funk.
Tracklisting
1. Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin’s Tower
2. King Solomon’s Marbles
3. The Music Never Stopped
4. Crazy Fingers
5. Sage And Spirit
6. Blues For Allah
Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble Tour Dates
October 9 – The Kent Stage – Kent, OH
October 10 – Stuart's Opera House – Nelsonville, OH
October 11 – Asbury Hall – Buffalo, NY
October 13 – Center for the Arts of Homer – Homer, NY
October 14 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
October 15 – The Warehouse at FTC – Fairfield, CT
October 16 – The Sinclair – Boston, MA
October 17 – Groton Hill Music Center – Groton, MA
October 18 – Criterion Theatre – Bar Harbor, ME
About Verve Records
Founded in 1956 by impresario Norman Granz in order to create a fair and just label home for Ella Fitzgerald, Verve Records has become home to some of the most pioneering acts in music, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, Dizzy Gillespie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, and more.
Today, the label continues this legacy with artists including Jon Batiste, Kurt Vile, Samara Joy, Arooj Aftab, Cynthia Erivo, Diana Krall, and more.
